TWO DAVIDS, A PHIL, A VINCE & A FUNERAL A NICK

It certainly hasn’t been a lot of fun being one of the people’s people this week.

David Chaytor, former MP for Bury North, was barred by Labour from ever standing again as a candidate. He stood down in May this year. He will be sentenced in January.

DAVID CHAYTOR

One of our politicians can go to bed tonight knowing he is now a convicted criminal.

It’s what they call ‘justice’. I suppose The Telegraph is pleased with itself.

Today, a Labour politician pleaded guilty to three expenses charges – totalling around £20,000, and could face seven years in jail. I know I’m not reacting as most will to this news, and it certainly looks like he has been dishonest, but I feel sad about this. The possibility of a prison sentence will hang heavily on David Chaytor’s mind all over Christmas.

After the High Court judgement Woolas said: "It is the end of the road - I am out."

Another high-profile Labour politician has seen the inside of the High Court where he was appealing against an earlier decision on an election leaflet. He lost, and has now been banned from parliament and pronounced a liar. (Odd. I’m told that is compulsory!)

Now, if you have had any experience whatsoever of the dirty tricks that Lib Dems use to win elections, this must be particularly galling.

But worry not your little democracy-loving heads. This crowd – London Muslims – the equivalent of the other well-supported groups London Christians, London Jews and London Ba-Ba Black Sheepies – (what do you mean they don’t exist?) – will make sure Oldham has a real Labour candidate next time!

England's £15million bid – spearheaded by David ­Cameron, Prince William and David Beckham – didn’t even get past the first round. It secured just two of the 22 votes by committee members of football’s world governing body Fifa in a secret ballot – one of which was cast by England’s own FA chairman Geoff Thompson.

DAVID CAMERON

And the smell of defeat.

Another well-known politician is returning home not as a conquering hero like Tony Blair in 2005 (may he be remembered with eternal gratitude and deep affection as we sing at the 2012 Olympics – ‘OMG! WHAT DID WE DO?’ )

Yesterday, the country’s present top-ranking Conservative, one David Cameron, one of the Three Lions, came back from England’s World Cup bid empty-handed. Worse than empty-handed. Knowing that only ONE vote of 22 available came England’s way (apart from their own). And that, despite it being widely agreed that England’s presentation was the best of the lot.

DC had hoped to go down as TB Mark II after the Olympic Games Win in 2005. Instead David Cameron has returned from Zürich licking his wounds, an impotent and puzzled “lion” after England’s failed World Cup bid.

VINCE CABLE

And yet another political entity, one who dances like a butterfly and stings like a bee, has been forced to search his conscience – sorry, search for a conscience on his OWN policy.

Vince Cable has indicated he is minded to vote in favour of the tuition fees rise. Photograph: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters

Well, it’d be even more difficult NOT to vote for the policy HE, as the Business Secretary, is responsible for.

Nice one, Dave.

LALA LAND, Vince?

Of course some Liberal Democrats WILL abstain next Thursday in the vote, thus confusing us with Lib Dem consistency – a heady mixture of victorious sponge, mixed fruit cake and a dash of yummy rummy thrown in for the seasonal flavour.

By the way, just so you realise there is no skullduggery in THIS honest, trustworthy, accountable, whiter than pale coalition, the vote that has the students yelling in anger will be held next Thursday. Thursdays are traditionally quiet days in the Commons. Many of the smaller parties don’t even bother to turn up. Well, it’s coming up to Christmas, shopping to do, trees to decorate, cakes to bake, snow-covered journeys to grapple with.

And it’s a long way to Tipperary – sorry – Northern Ireland, North Wales, Scotland.

But it seems that some Lib Dems, like former leader Charles Kennedy, are likely to vote against the Lib Dem/Conservative tuition fees policy. Hang on! What’s that I see? A flying principle? And a Scottish MP? From Scotland? A Scottish constituency? Where there is no such tuition fees rise? Isn’t that the kind of West Lothian question that they used to throw at the Labour party?

Ahh, paler than white, the snowy Lib Dem heart, is it not?

Oh the joys of coalition. The joys of government. The joys of decision-making. The bitter taste of unpopularity.

Still, if you think this is a surfeit of bad news for the sweetie Lib Dems – hang on. It gets worse.

MUCH worse.

CONFERENCE POSTPONED. WRONG KIND OF SNOW STUDENTS ON OUR TRACK

To cap it all, an entire political party has been bullied into submission by rampaging students idiots.

Protesters gather outside Kings Place in London and organise a mock hanging of Nick Clegg as he gives his Hugo Young Lecture in the building that is home to the Guardian. Even Tony Blair in his darkest days of Iraq war insurgency (from within his own party and some of the voters) never felt the need to cancel a party conference. Courage, mes braves!

I really do feel sorry for these politicians, at a personal level. All of them, to some degree or other.

But I feel angry that an idiot – a SCOTTISH idiot (and Scotland, I repeat, is NOT affected by these tuition fee rises in England) – yells this – ‘Nick Clegg must die’. Listen to the video if you don’t believe me. These are anarchists, not democrats. Probably not even students.

Politicians, you idiot, must not “die” for their political decisions. We vote them out.

“All countries need a leader who isn’t afraid to fight terrorism. I believe Mr. Blair did a necessary job in helping his allies. Are we all just supposed to lie down and wait for them to come for us, I don’t think so.”

And - “Mr. Blair is one of the finest politicians to have had the privilege of serving the United Kingdom, and Britons are fortunate to have had him as their Prime Minister. Time will show that Mr. Blair’s approach to affairs in the Middle East were and remain correct. From a member of the Commonwealth, thank you, Mr. Blair, for your continued service to legitimate and lasting (and not convenient or politically expedient) freedom.”

AND – “Tony Blair was the greatest Prime Minister since Winston Churchill and the only regret I have he didn’t get my vote as I live in Canada.”

AND – “I am sick and tired of television and radio interviewers asking the same old questions over and over, regarding the decision to go to war in Iraq, presumably they hope Mr Blair will let slip some secret information which they would then use against him. History will show if the decision was the right one, (I believe it was) but people must accept that Tony Blair is an honourable man, and made his decision based on the known facts and not with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight.”

4 Responses to “4 Weeping & A Funeral – A good week to bury politicians”

Isn’t it interesting that when public demonstrations start by or for any “leftwing” cause, the anarchists appear, break things and simulate murder… Who would have thought there was such a love of violence on the pacifist left?!

I’ve noticed that so-called peace-lovers too are often the most unpeaceful in their demos. Like the violent lot in Dublin over Blair’s book.

That’s probably because these people are not genuine, but anarchists or other ‘enemies within’.

Of course, if we were hosting the World Cup these people would be seen for what they are – a mad minority – and wouldn’t be noticed in the crowd. It’s when the crowd is limited, as again at the Dublin book-signing, that they appear more important and more consequential in the bigger picture than they really are.

Still, I am amazed that the Lib Dems have actually postponed their conference over such threats of violence.

Same problems over “here” with the left-Dems. We had student protests in the States, and rightly so because, before the elections, students were promised the moon. After the elections, the moon was eclipsed with huge tuition increases. The students protested but, no one hung anyone in effidgy. I agree that these “student protestors” (at least the hangmen-types) over there, have to be “plants”. It is shameful your politicians cancelled the conference. It almost appears an excuse not to appear. Why didn’t they at least do a video conference? The World Cup failure reminds me of the Obama team (including Oprah) attempt to get Chicago on the Map. I feel sorry for this Chaytor chap, after seeing our own wrangling, Charlie Rangel, get a slap on the wrist from our Congress when he clearly outdid your Chaytor chap in the illegality category. Then, that’s the Left for you. They seem to be the same over here and over there. Things used to be so different only a few years ago; at least our former leaders were of strong character and WE could “feel” it. Today, it seems WE feel failure, losers, a lack of confidence. Not good.

The thing is, the Lib Dems are now in the coalition government. First time for centuries. Well, many decades. I don’t know why they didn’t think of this kind of issue before the election – incompatibility with the Conservatives on major issues, since it was widely expected that no party would win outright.

And now the moon is out of reach. Serves ‘em right. Eyes bigger than tummy.

I don’t know anything about who the guy was who wanted to hang Clegg. I don’t expect the Police even asked for his name. But I really think that we need to clamp down on that kind of stuff. Not so much the effigies, more against using that kind of “die” language. Not good. When we turn a blind eye it makes it all too easy for some to think this is acceptable behaviour. We have enough of it already when Choudary’s little gang of jihadists get together.

Bound to be an anarchist. Student or not.

But you’re right about the “feel” around right now. We feel pretty rudderless here. Leaderless, imho.

And yes I think the Lib Dems chickened out of their conference. Terrified of the bad publicity and perhaps even their own conference representatives making a fuss.